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Cruz: Obama, Dems designed immigration bill to 'crash and burn' in the House

Later Tuesday, the Senate will vote on whether to proceed to the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.

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The bipartisan group of eight senators, known as the Gang of Eight, introduced S. 744, which would create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country, toughen border security, create a guest worker program and boost high-skilled immigration.

Some Republicans have complained that the legislation would provide amnesty over 10 years for the nearly 11 million residents in the country illegally before strengthening border enforcement.

Cruz said that there aren’t enough votes in the House to pass the pathway to citizenship laid out in the Gang of Eight’s bill.

“There are not 218 votes on the other side, in the House, to pass a pathway to citizenship,” Cruz said. “Right now, in my opinion, this bill is headed toward failure. … Absent major revisions, this bill will crash and burn in the House, and I believe it is designed to do so.”

Cruz said he thinks the bill will pass the Senate easily, but that Senate Democrats have been unwilling to allow amendments to the bill that would help it pass the House.

“I very much want common-sense immigration reform to pass. This bill will pass the Senate, but it will not pass the House,” Cruz said. “As written, this bill would not become law.”

“We will not leave these 11 million people in immigration limbo forever,” Schumer said on the floor Tuesday. “We’re not interested in scoring a political victory to help a political party. We’re interested in changing the status quo to make America a better place … but one thing we will never do is condition the pathway to citizenship on measure that will never happen.”